Secondhand Lions Review
by Robin Clifford (robin AT reelingreviews DOT com)September 6th, 2003
"Secondhand Lions"
Walter (Haley Joel Osment) is an introverted 14-year old whose flighty mother, Mae (Kyra Sedgwick), suddenly leaves him, in the middle of nowhere, at the rural home of his cantankerous great uncles Hub and Garth McCaan (Robert Duvall and Michael Caine). The prospect of a summer with no TV and no phone looks to be a disaster for the teenager, but looks can be deceiving in "Secondhand Lions."
Mae leaves Walter under the guise that she is heading off to court reporters school and that she'll be back when she finishes the course and lands a job. But, the boy has heard the many broken promises before and despondently agrees to stay with Hub and Garth. He does not know what to make of these two crazy old codgers, especially when they pull out their shotguns to shoot at traveling salesmen who stop by to bilk the old men out of some of their rumored wealth. The McCaan brothers, local legends tell, may have bee Mafia hit men who robbed Al Capone, bank robbers, war criminals or any number of things to explain their endless supply of money.
As you would expect, this polarized, unconventional family will become whole and happy as Walter hears the stories about his uncles and finds, locked in an old trunk, a picture of a beautiful, exotic woman. He asks Garth, the less threatening of the brothers, about the picture but is told little. Slowly, over time, the boy hears the stories of his great uncles' colorful lives and exploits. They went to Europe on the eve of World War One, joined the French Foreign Legion and led lives straight out of Indiana Jones. Walter doesn't know if the adventures of Hub and Garth are just tall tales or the truth but, the longer he lives with the codgers, the more he comes to believe the stories as real.
"Secondhand Lions" is a better film than it has a right to be and that is due to the considerable talents of the core cast. The story, by writer-director Tim McCanlies, who penned the screenplay for the wonderful animation "The Iron Giant," walks well-trodden ground as the fish-out-of-water Walter must cope with abandonment, being thrust into an scary world and grows to overcome his insecurities and become a man. A better treatment of a boy and his uncles is given in the quirky little comedy, Diane Keaton's "Unstrung Heroes." Fortunately, for "Secondhand Lions," there are Robert Duvall, Michael Caine and Haley Joel Osment.
I swear, I could watch Robert Duvall read the Bible (and I think I did in "The Apostle") and still be captivated by the actor's talents. He is riveting in "Open Range" and helps "Lions" to be a step above its cliched story. It's not often that you can watch a 72-year old take on four burly teenagers, defeat them, befriend them, bestow upon them his words of wisdom and send them on their way - and make it believable. Duvall does it. Haley Joel Osment does a fine job of portraying Walter. The character is not a stretch for the young thespian but Osment does his best to rep the transformation of Walter into a smart, kind, selfless and understanding young man. Michael Cain bears the burden of being the narrator/storyteller of Hubs reckless and brave adventures and is less a presence than his co-stars. Kyra Segdwick, as Mae, is two-dimensional, at best, and is little more than a plot device.
Techs are first rate and all of the players behind the camera give a good showing. Director of photography Jack N. Green shows the rugged vastness of the McCaan land and does a fun job in capturing the old tales of Hub's adventures as seen through Walter's eyes. Production design keeps the period rather ambiguous, except for the number of vintage cars that give you a clue that this is the 50's or early 60's.
There is a real lion in "Secondhand Lions" when the McCaans use some of their mystery money to import a jungle cat to their farm so they can hunt it. But, the poor thing is old and tired and they can't bring themselves to kill it, especially after Walter befriends the beast and lets it live in their cornfield. This kind of quirkiness helps the otherwise routine story and, with the stars, keeps things a bit above the ordinary.
I came out of "Secondhand Lions" feeling manipulated but not minding and I give it a B-.
For more Reeling reviews visit www.reelingreviews.com
[email protected]
[email protected]
Originally posted in the rec.arts.movies.reviews newsgroup. Copyright belongs to original author unless otherwise stated. We take no responsibilities nor do we endorse the contents of this review.
